Retired Pensioner Jack Morrison
by Literaturefangirl
Summary: Pardoned by the U.N and living a secluded life. Jack Morrison spends his retired days documenting his time with Overwatch on data pads, but is there room in his 'busy' life for the inquisitive questions of the little girl next door?
1. Chapter 1

Granted an official pardon from the U.N, celebrated as a hero and awarded a pension to live out his days without the need for further heroics, former Strike Commander Jack Morrison was well off.

Living a peaceful life in the suburbs of his home town, Bloomington. Jack now spent his days documenting his time with Overwatch, by tapping away on a data pad or when he grew tired of it by dictating to Artemis (an artificial intelligence gifted to him by Winston.) Whose name, Jack realized was no accident. He may no longer be involved in the running of Overwatch, but deep down he would always be a hunter.

But even though Jack liked to think that moving to the suburbs would grant him complete privacy. He hadn't counted on that illusion behind disproven by the actions of his next-door neighbour.

"Jack, my sensors indicate that there is a spy behind the fence." Artemis informed Jack.

"Describe the spy to me." Jack calmly instructed Athena, without looking out the window that the 'spy' was no doubt using to get a look at him

"Judging by the presence of a uniform she appears to be an elementary school student."

"Let me handle this."

Moving closer to the window and pretending to look out of it, the girl ducked down as Jack approached. Stepping off the cardboard boxes she had used to see above the fence, the young girl fled into her house.

"Kid's just being curious." Jack brushed off the nosy behaviour as inquisitiveness.

The next-door neighbour Katie observed, had a workaround for everything that could possibly involve stepping out of the house. Grocery shopping? Delivered to his door. Work? Done at home judging by the glow of computer screens she could see from behind the window of his house. The man was practically a hermit. The reason why? Katie was eager to know. She only hoped it wasn't because he was under house arrest.

The one time that her neighbour did leave the house was on his daily walks. At 5 o'clock, sharp. Like clockwork. Introducing herself would not be difficult.

"Hi, I'm Katie. I just moved in to the house next door with my mom, what's your name?" Katie asked Jack, in the middle of opening his front door.

"You can call me, sir. Good day, Katie." Jack gave her a standoffish reply and entered his house, closing the door behind him.

"Don't you think you were being a little harsh with her?" Artemis who had heard everything, reproached Jack.

"It was the only way to stifle her curiosity. If I'm distant, she won't be interested in peeking over the fence." Jack tried to justify his rudeness with the young girl.

"Or maybe you just encouraged her curiosity by withholding your name." Artemis challenged his assumption.

"Guess, I'll have to live with that."

History had never been Katie's favourite subject at school. Static dates and numbers were a bore, making her attention drift as her teacher taught the day's lesson.

"Before the peace we enjoy today, our nations were ravaged by the devastating forces of the omnics. The conflict between humans and omnics spanned an entire decade. Now, who can tell me the name of this war?"

"The Omnic Crisis." A boy seated in front of Katie raised his hand and answered.

That was an easy question, everyone knows that, Katie thought as she skimmed through the class material on her data pad, ahead of everyone else.

"Very good. It was thanks to an international taskforce known Overwatch that the war came to an end, restoring liberty for all." The teacher praised her student and finished.

Partial to happy endings herself, Katie skipped to the end of the text where she found an intriguing image. A row of Overwatch agents dressed in formal attire being pardoned by the President of the United Nations. And in the middle of said row, stood a familiar man with white hair and two scars across his face. And he looked just like her next-door neighbour.

Letting out a small gasp, eyes widened. The teacher noticed the look of astonishment on Katie's face.

"Katie, is there something you want to share with us?"

"My neighbour looks just like Commander Morrison!" Katie exclaimed, with no reservations. She'd just stumbled upon something big. Perhaps the biggest discovery she would ever make in her entire life! And she was not afraid to share it with everyone else.

"Yeah? And my neighbour is Reinhardt!" A boy sitting at the back of the class, yelled across the room, making the rest of the class erupt with laughter.

"I'm sure your neighbour would be flattered to hear you say that, Katie. Moving on." The teacher responded and returned to the topic at hand.

But the similarities between the two figures in Katie's life stayed with her for the rest of the day, intruding on her conscious thoughts as she tried to complete her classes. Mathematics? I wonder how many omnics he's killed? Geography? Did he ever fight in those countries?

The end of the school day brought great relief to Katie. She could finally go home and confront her neighbour about his remarkable resemblance with Strike Commander Morrison. But her anticipation soon turned into apprehension. What if she was wrong? What if in revealing her suspicions, she embarrassed herself in front of him? She would never be able to face him again.

But before Katie could imagine such a scenario any further, a truck pulled up in front of Jack's house and a delivery driver stepped out from it with a package in his hand. Seeing that he was heading towards her neighbour's house, Katie intercepted him before he could make it to the front door.

"Excuse me, sir, who is that package for? My mom and I just moved in next door and we still don't know what to call our new neighbour." Katie asked with a sweet voice, hoping her question would come across as having innocent intentions.

"It says here, it's for Jack Morrison." The man read the label on the package.

"Thank you!" Katie's voice chirped as she thanked the delivery driver and went on her way.

Stepping on the front porch of Jack's house, the delivery driver knocked on the door and handed Jack a PDA for him to sign when he came to answer the door.

"Package for Jack Morrison. Sign here please."

"Thank you." Jack scribbled a hasty signature and gave an appreciative nod as the man wished him a good day and left. Closing the door behind him, Jack took the package inside and read the name of the sender.

"I wonder what you've given me this time Reinhardt…" Jack pondered, but before he could open the package and find out, he heard another knock at the door. He was proving to be quite a popular guy that day.

Opening the door once more, Jack was greeted by the sight of Katie holding something behind her back.

"Oh, it's you." Jack said as a matter of fact, but not in an entirely unfriendly way.

"I learned about Strike Commander Morrison in school today. He looked just like you." Katie informed him.

"Is that so?" Jack gave her a non-committed reply, he didn't like where the girl was going with this.

"I also asked the delivery man who the package was for. He said it was for Jack Morrison." Katie continued, with a smug voice. Clearly proud of what she'd discovered.

"I'm one of the many Jack Morrisons. It's a common name." Jack dismissed the coincidence, hoping to throw Katie off the scent.

"With the same scars across his face?" Katie held up her data pad for Jack to see. The screen in question zoomed in on a photograph of Jack with the same two scars he bore on his face today. The resemblance undeniable.

"Whatever you say, Katie. But don't go telling your friends your neighbour is the former leader of Overwatch. I just want to be left alone, you understand?" Jack conceded, realizing there was no point denying his identity when the evidence was heavily stacked against him. Knowing full well that since Katie was persistent enough to learn his identity, she would continue to pester him until he admitted it.

"I don't have any friends at school. I just moved here." Katie confessed, making Jack fall silent. "But don't worry, your secret is safe with me." Katie reassured him with a smile.

"A secret you wouldn't have, if you'd just kept your head down!" Jack growled to Katie, putting his knowledge of her previous nosiness out in the open.

* * *

 **I was inspired to write a Jack Morrison retirement fic when I watched the old man/young girl bonding formula in the 2015 movie The Little Prince. Thanks for reading and reviews are always appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 2

Although Jack Morrison seemed more annoyed with her than anything else, Katie was thankful she had met him.

Raised by a single mother who worked long hours to provide for her daughter, attending a public school close to their house in the suburbs. Katie's life for the past 11 years had been an ordinary one, devoid of much interest. Until Katie's met Jack Morrison.

The man was a legendary hero and represented a multitude of opportunities. If she was struggling at school with history, he could help her with her homework, Overwatch or otherwise. If her mother worked later than usual, he could keep her company and Katie couldn't wait to spend some time with him.

"Can I come with you this time?" Katie begged as she saw Jack heading out for his daily walk. Now that they were properly acquainted, she could ask him all the questions she had come up with since discovering he was the former leader of Overwatch.

"Doesn't your mother take you to parks after school?" Jack stopped in his tracks and asked, hoping the answer would make Katie seek out her mother instead of him. He was a soldier, not babysitter.

"On the weekends, she does! But not after school, she's too busy with work." Katie gave Jack a disappointing but surprisingly sympathetic answer. The kid must be lonely without parental supervision, no wonder she was so eager to get to know him.

"Can't see the harm in you tagging along in that case."

"Yes!" Katie cheered, her fist clenching with triumph, as she scampered across the street to join him.

Walking past the suburbs, Jack and Katie were now in the greenspace of the town. With long, winding footpaths, shaded by the many trees planted in the grass. Passing a playground filled with happy children having fun and attentive parents watching over them, the corners of Jack's mouth twitched into a quick smile.

Katie looked right at home in the park, wearing a white dress with pink flower patterns. Like a child of Bloomington. Aptly named by its settlers impressed by the haven of blooms. But the playground seemed to have the opposite effect on Katie, who hadn't said a word for some time.

"What does your mother do for a living Katie?" Jack stepped in and asked Katie so she wouldn't feel left out.

"She works at a bank. She says it's an important job, but I don't really understand what she does. She always comes home late. She's a bit like you." Katie answered with a slightly displeased tone, avoiding eye contact with Jack.

"Like me?"

"Yeah, how you always walk every day at the same time." Katie explained, surprising Jack with her observant nature. How strange that she had picked up on that.

"I like to keep moving." Jack simply answered.

"But why the same time? Don't you ever want to walk a little earlier?" Katie asked, wondering why Jack never deviated from his routine.

"When I was in the army, I woke up at 5 AM every single day. That same discipline applies to my exercise." Jack recounted the habit that had been ingrained in him, during his time in the army.

"But you walk in the afternoon, why not in the morning?" Katie questioned that particular line of logic. If he woke up early in the army, wouldn't his exercise be at the same time?

"Because it's too cold in the morning!" Jack quipped, making Katie laugh. She liked it when he made her laugh. Most of the time with her mom, was not spent laughing, making Jack's sense of humour a welcome change.

"My mom runs in the morning. It's the only time she can do her exercise." Katie reluctantly added, as if she was embarrassed that her mother's morning routine was unlike other people's.

"Nothing wrong with that."

"If the only time I could walk was in the morning, I wouldn't do it at all, but then Artemis would never let me hear the end of it!" Jack told Katie about his reproachful A.I.

"The goddess of the hunt?" Katie questioned his remark.

"The A.I that Winston created for me. You know about Winston from school, right?" Jack explained, assuming she was aware of the scientist.

"Yeah! He runs Overwatch with that British lady!" Katie answered enthusiastically. The latter part of her remark, getting a small chuckle out of Jack. He knew her best as the Overwatch agent with the liveliest spirit and a kind heart, but to the world she would always be the face of Overwatch. The woman with the British voice and the catchphrases.

"Artemis also helps me write my logs." Jack continued, thinking that Katie would ask about what he does during the day sooner or later.

"Logs?"

"First person accounts of my time with Overwatch." Jack clarified.

"Did you write about how you got those scars?" Katie asked, making Jack's heart rate rise. He hadn't expected the young girl to ask such a morbid question so suddenly. Patting his chest twice with his hand, to soothe the anxious feeling in his heart, Jack redirected the attention of her inquiry.

"Not the scars specifically. But the events that led to them."

"Tell me about it!" Katie encouraged Jack to give her more details. One of the most striking things about Jack Morrison's face besides his bright, blue eyes were his scars. One running across his nose and other his mouth. There had to be an exciting story behind them.

"I don't think it's a story you would want to hear." Jack tried to avoid divulging such a personal story, but Katie wouldn't have it any other way.

"I want to know anyway! I learned about wars and explosions in school, it can't be any worse than that." Katie insisted. She wasn't fazed much by the casualties and horrors of war, she could handle this.

"Fine. Since you learned about Overwatch, then you've probably heard of Senior Officer Reyes." Jack deduced.

"Yeah, he was one of the founding members of Overwatch." Katie confirmed, as Jack took a deep breath to stabilize the sudden shortness of breath he was feeling in his lungs. Why now? The walk was nearly over, it wasn't taxing exercise and why were those heart palpitations continuing to bother him?

"Reyes and I didn't always see eye to eye. And although we worked together well as team, things were never the same between us when I was made Strike Commander… I think he resented me when the U.N chose me over him."

Jack wiped a layer of sweat that had formed on his forehead. He could have sworn the forecast was cold for today. Maybe he had too many layers on. That was probably it.

"What happened after that?" Katie pressed him for more information. All that Jack had told her seemed more like unfortunate events, than anything that could have caused his injuries. They were nearly back home and she needed an answer before then.

"Things got worse. We fought. Our headquarters was destroyed. I survived, but the man we knew as Reyes was lost to us." Jack finished. His voice filled with remorse.

"So, the fighting between you two got him killed?" Katie asked, sounding distressed by Gabriel's fate. Perhaps it hadn't been a good idea to share everything with her, Jack realized.

"I didn't say that." Jack tried to defend his words, but judging by the quivering lips and tears spilling over Katie's cheeks it was too late to take it back.

"I was curious about you Mr. Morrison, when I found out who you were. But now I don't want to know anything about you anymore." Katie retaliated and ran back into her house in a desperate attempt to distance herself from Jack. Slamming the door behind her.

"You look tired Jack, what happened?" Artemis inquired, when she saw Jack slowly enter the house with drooping arms and a disheartened look on his face.

"It happened again today."

"And yet despite experiencing frequent chest pains, you still continue to refuse seeking medical attention." Artemis lectured Jack on his neglectful behaviour.

"My heart's a little overworked. There's nothing more to it than that." Jack tried to rationalize his decision. He had lived a long life, it was bound to take a toll somehow.

"I was designed to assist you Jack. I can do basic scans and take your heart rate, but I can't diagnose life threatening conditions if you have one. It's up to you see a doctor." Artemis reminded him. She had been designed to stay ahead of him. To help him when he needed it and to give him some tough love when he was being stubborn. But sometimes, Jack would behave in ways that Artemis felt was beyond her programming to deal with.

"I'll see a doctor—" Jack proposed to appease Artemis, but letting his sentence trail so he wouldn't have to finish it.

"When they bury your coffin in the ground." Artemis triumphantly completed his sentence.

"You're right Artemis, I should… Ugh!" Jack finally agreed, before staggering and collapsing on the floor.

Dialling 911 right away, Artemis waited for a response on the other end.

"911 operator, what is your emergency?" A woman answered with a calm voice.

"I need an ambulance sent here immediately. A man has just fallen unconscious."

* * *

 **Poor Jack wasn't in the best of health in this chapter, but** **maybe it's been like that for a long time and could have been triggered by anything. But w** **hatever hurt has occurred here, will be alleviated in the best of ways in the next chapter.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

The moment she heard the ambulance siren close by, Katie knew that something was terribly wrong.

Rushing outside, Katie struggled to catch a glimpse of the unconscious person being carried away in a gurney through the group of neighbours gathering around the ambulance.

This neighbourhood was primarily occupied by families wishing to raise their children there; healthy people you wouldn't expect to need an ambulance. Making the ambulance's sudden appearance a cause for concern for the community.

As the paramedics loaded the gurney into the ambulance, Katie spotted what she had feared. The familiar spiky, white hair of her neighbour Jack Morrison. And all she could do is watch as they took him away to an hospital she would not know where to reach.

Katie's mother arrived home shortly after, her work day having finished a little earlier than usual. This would usually be cause for celebration, but that night all Katie could think about was Jack. Not even her favourite dinner of angel hair pasta with garlic sauce cooked by her mother could cheer her up.

"Sweetheart, is something wrong? You've barely touched your food." Katie's mother asked, wondering why her daughter was being so quiet at the dinner table and poking her food with a fork. Katie was usually so eager to share stories about her day. with her. She wondered what could have happened to change all that.

"Something bad happened today. I got into an argument with someone. I think it hurt them." Katie confessed.

Her eyes welling with tears, just thinking about Jack being so hurt that he was sent to the hospital because of her.

"Did you apologize to them?"

"I couldn't. They were… from another classroom and recess was over. I feel so bad, mom." Katie tried to explain, wiping the tears from her eyes. Her voice choking between words.

"I'm sorry you're feeling bad, Katie. Tomorrow you can apologize to them and I'm sure they'll appreciate that you tried to set things right." Katie's mother reassured her and gave her hug. Things had been stressful for the past week for Katie and her mother. With boxes to unpack, school and work routes to memorize and first days of school and work, respectively. And for the first time that week, Katie knew that things were going to be OK.

It was most fortunate that Katie had art as one of her school subjects that day. Because she knew exactly how she could she could make amends with Jack. She would make a drawing for him on the side to express how sorry she was. Luckily, it would not be a side project, since an important date on the calendar was arriving.

"Class, as you know it's going to be Father's Day in one week. So today we're going to be making some cards to show how much we care for them." The teacher announced, holding up a blank card in his hand to show the class.

Hovering around the room to check the student's progress, the teacher noticed that Katie was not writing anything resembling Father's Day wishes.

"What are you working on, Katie?" He inquired with interest, making some of the student's heads turn in his direction.

"My dad left us when I was very young, he doesn't deserve a card. I'm making a card for my neighbour who's in the hospital." Katie told him upfront. A birthday card and some money sent at Christmas was not enough to earn Katie's father her good favour. Mr. Morrison on the other hand had done more than enough to earn her loyalty.

"That's very thoughtful of you, Katie." Her teacher remarked. Never one to discourage creativity, even if it wasn't the task he had assigned.

Other than earning her teacher's admiration, it would seem that Katie's honesty had attracted the attention of one her school mates, who pulled up a chair and sat next to her.

"When neighbours get sick, you don't usually make them a card, instead of your dad." He remarked on Katie's unconventional card.

"He's a special neighbour."

"What's so special about him?" The boy asked, as Katie kept her eyes on her card and picked up a marker.

"He was a soldier in Overwatch, so I'm making him a card with Overwatch drawings." Katie explained, colouring in the Overwatch symbol she had drawn with an orange marker, as she spoke.

"Do you think I could sign it too?" He asked quietly. Showing that his intentions were kind when he wanted to know more about Katie's card.

"Yes! I bet he'd love that!" Katie exclaimed, sliding the card over to the boy across the table.

"I'm Daniel, by the way." Daniel introduced himself and wrote down a greeting on the card.

"Thanks for signing the card, Daniel." Katie smiled at Daniel; the one person in this classroom who had reached out and helped her decorate her card. But Daniel was not the only well intentioned student in the classroom. Overhearing the cruel abandonment at the hands of Katie's father, two girls who had finished their cards also wanted to sign Katie's card to show their support. Creating a ripple effect of students joining in, until nearly everyone in the classroom had signed Katie's card.

Her classmate's overwhelming acts of kindness left Katie's heart filled with joy for the rest of day and it was that same joy that gave Katie the courage to ask what needed to be done from her mother.

"Mom, can you please drive me to the hospital, today? It's really important."

"Why? Is something wrong? Are you sick?" Her mother's voice rose as she jumped to the wrong conclusions, worried for her daughter's wellbeing.

"It's not me, mom! It's my friend. He's in the hospital and I've got to see him!" Katie reassured her well-meaning mother.

"What's the name of the hospital?"

"I don't know mom! The ambulance took him away so fast, I didn't get a chance to ask." Katie answered with frustration, wishing she could have run a little faster.

"OK. I'll drive us to the closest one from our house." Katie's mother quickly came up with a solution.

The car ride to the hospital was a quiet one, for the most part. Besides the drone of the radio, Katie did not say a single word. She was too busy thinking about what it would be like to be Jack, lying alone in a hospital bed.

Once they arrived at the hospital after a 30 minute drive, Katie dashed out of the car to make it to the reception area before her mother. The identity of the person she was visiting, her little secret.

"Can I help you?" The hospital receptionist asked, wary of the unsupervised child that had just run in here.

"Is there a Jack Morrison in this hospital?" Katie asked, looking back over her shoulder to see when her mother would arrive.

"Let me check that for you." The receptionist turned to the computer at her desk and entered his name.

"Yes. He came in yesterday. Are you a relative of his?" The receptionist asked about Katie's relation with Jack.

"No, he's my neighbour, but—" Katie tried to explain, suddenly feeling worried by the possibility that she would be denied the opportunity to see Jack.

"I'm sorry, but only close relatives are allowed to see him right now." The receptionist interjected within the earshot of Katie's mother as she entered the reception area.

"Please, my daughter just wants to see if her friend is OK. We wouldn't take very long." Katie's mother stepped in. Acting the role of a hero in Katie's eyes, making her smile.

"Very well. He's in room 176." The receptionist informed them.

Standing by the door of Jack's room with a card in her hand, Katie turned to her mother before they could walk in together.

"I need to do this alone, mom."

"OK, sweetie. I'll be waiting for you outside." Katie's mother placed a hand on her shoulder and went to take a seat in the waiting area as Katie entered the room. Inside the room, Jack lay in a hospital bed, unconscious. An IV drip inserted into his pale arm. Pale from the coat he was always wearing that covered his arms when he went on his daily walks.

It made Katie sad to see him this way; weak and unmoving. Jack seemed like the kind of man who would always keep moving. With his walks, making his logs, telling her off for peeking over the fence and now he was confined to a bed.

"I don't know if you can hear me Mr. Morrison, but I'm sorry I got mad at you. My dad left us when I was very young, but before that mom and dad were always arguing. I was sad that someone died because of an argument. They ruin everything."

"They do." Jack opened his eyes and murmured, making Katie jump with fright.

"Mr. Morrison! I thought you were asleep!" Katie exclaimed, picking up the card she had dropped, after being startled by Jack's sudden awakening.

"I was, but then I heard your voice," Jack admitted. "But I didn't tell you the whole story, Katie. Gabriel didn't die that day. A dear friend of mine tried to revive him, but when he came back he was nothing more than a wraith."

"A ghost?"

"Yes, only this ghost could hold guns and he now went by the name of Reaper. Blaming us for what happened to him, his only mission now was to eliminate Overwatch agents and to find me, so he could finish what he started." Jack finished on a grim note, leaving Katie with an uneasy expression on her face. The entire time, Katie had been under the impression that Officer Reyes had perished in the struggle between he and Jack. The thought that he had returned to haunt Jack, left her feeling unsettled.

"Katie? Is it alright if I come in… here?" Katie's mother peeked her head in, as she opened the door to the room.

"I thought…" She began. Surprised that Katie's 'friend' was not someone from her school.

"Mom. This is our neighbour Mr. Morrison." Katie introduced Jack to her mother.

"Neighbour?! I'm so sorry! We were meaning to come visit, but I've been so busy with work… I had no idea you were sick!" Katie's mother apologized, breaking Jack's impression of the serious mother he had imagined her to be from Katie's account of her.

"Me neither." Jack told her with a smile. His reply making Katie giggle, even though it was a lie.

"I'm Dinah Mason, by the way." Dinah offered her hand for Jack to shake.

"Jack Morrison. It's a pleasure to meet you." Jack shook her hand firmly. Like mother, like daughter, Dinah had a sweet demeanour, with the same blonde hair as Katie that she kept tied in a ponytail. He was happy to finally make her acquaintance.

"I have something for you," Katie handed Jack her card. "It's a card I made in art class. I was only going to write in it, but then my friend signed it and then nearly everyone wanted to!"

Opening the card, Jack observed that the first page of the card was covered in wishes for good health. 'Get well soon' 'Hope you're feeling better' and 'Speedy recovery' were some of the many messages written on there. Including a lone 'Don't die.' That particular greeting making Jack smile.

The second page read: "Get well soon Soldier. That's an order" and was surrounded by Katie's drawings, consisting of Winston's head, the Overwatch symbol and 's rabbit logo.

"Thank you, Katie. I love it." Jack turned to Katie and gave her his thanks.

"You have a good daughter there, Mrs Mason. You're lucky to have her." Jack complimented Katie, making her turn her head away bashfully.

"Oh! We promised the receptionist we'd be out of here soon. We have to go now, but when you get better you can give me a call and I'll pick you up from the hospital." Dinah searched through her purse and gave Jack a business card with her phone number.

"I look forward to it." He told her, making her smile as she began leaving the room.

Leaning across the bed, Katie gave Jack a hug and the grateful former soldier embraced her in return. _Waving_ goodbye to the young girl as she hurried over to join her mother.


End file.
